The gift this columnist wants can't be bought

Monday, Dec. 5 — The holiday season can be a time of contradiction. Thanksgiving Day brings with it the official start of the holiday season, a time traditionally set aside for counting our abundant blessings. The following day, Black Friday, ushers in the season of giving and receiving. I don’t mean to come off as cynical, but in the course of 24 hours we go from giving thanks to wishing for more.

Mile 26

Friday, Nov. 4 — I watched a friend run the Detroit Marathon a few weeks ago with friends. We set up camp at the 8.5-mile mark. Our friend greeted us, having completed a third of her distance, with an energetic smile and a hug for everyone. After this, we went to mile 26 to watch the first runners come in. It was thrilling to see the leaders finish, and I imagined the pride they must be feeling. After watching the first five runners make the final turn, we went to the halfway mark to cheer our friend. She greeted us with the same exuberance, looking as if she could run all day.

Who is your mentor?

Achieving our resolutions relies heavily on the commitment, focus and resolve of us as individuals. Beyond this individual drive however, many have mental, physical and spiritual help from others in achieving their desired outcomes.

Lansing Board of Education hears from supporters of Sexton and Eastern High Schools at Thursday meeting

Friday, Jan. 20 — Members of the Lansing Board of Education may have been seeing red when they looked out at the audience Thursday evening: members of the Save Our Sexton campaign wore red as a sign of unity in support of Sexton High School.

Rossman-McKinney resigns from LEDC board

(This corrects information in the next-to-last paragraph that had said Lansing Mayor Bernero never denied pulling a contract from Kelly Rossman-McKinney because of her assistance to Carol Wood after her mother was murdered.)
Wednesday, Feb. 22 – Public relations executive Kelly Rossman-McKinney resigned from the Lansing Economic Development Corp. board today following a request by Mayor Virg Bernero, who claims she has a “conflict of interest” in the proposed Lansing casino.

State Sen. Jones wants to end medical marijuana use for the eye disease

A recently proposed bill would take glaucoma, which is nestled right between cancer and HIV, off the list of Michigan medical marijuana-approved diseases because, as Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, put it, “marijuana doesn’t work.”
Jones said he supports the use of medical marijuana for those suffering from chronic pain or undergoing cancer treatments but was recently approached by doctors who wanted him to axe glaucoma from the list.

State Sen. Rick Jones wants to end medical marijuana as a treatment for the eye disease

A recently proposed bill would take glaucoma, which is nestled right between cancer and HIV, off the list of Michigan medical marijuana-approved diseases because, as Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, put it, “marijuana doesn’t work.”
Jones said he supports the use of medical marijuana for those suffering from chronic pain or undergoing cancer treatments but was recently approached by doctors who wanted him to axe glaucoma from the list.

Former Spartan doctor pushing for health equality

“Not being straight, not being white, I have experienced my ‘otherness’ repeatedly in my life. And I think that’s always made me more sensitive to the fears of otherness in my patients. So I thought, ‘You know, it might not be a bad idea to share my experience and my understanding through my lens to my colleagues about LGBT health.’” This is how Dr. Henry Ng described how he became involved in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender health advocacy following his final medical residency lecture.

Caamal Canul to stay on board as Lansing schools superintendent for another year

Friday, April 13 —The Lansing School Board voted 6-2 Thursday night to suspend the search for a new superintendent and work out a one-year contract to move Interim Superintendent Yvonne Caamal Canul to the full-fledged position.